Hubbardston Library Trustees Approve Bookshelves, Hear of $58,000 State Grant

HUBBARDSTON — November 6, 2025 — Hubbardston Library trustees approved a $1,800 children's room bookshelf purchase and learned of a nearly $58,000 state digital literacy grant at their November 6 meeting. Library Director Christine Barbara told the board that two new rolling bookshelves, matching units built in 2017 at $900 each, will be funded from the Clark trust account, which trustees noted carries no principal and earns no interest. Barbara also announced that the library is the recipient of a Massachusetts Broadband Institute Municipal Digital Literacy grant of approximately $58,000 — the exact figure is still to be confirmed — to fund a new multimedia room, patron tablets, senior-focused digital literacy classes, and broadband infrastructure upgrades; staff member Trisha was credited with preparing the competitive application. Trustees received an update from a lower-level renovation working group reporting that a key interior partition wall is not load-bearing, though a Massachusetts Historical Commission check is pending before removal can proceed, and a formal request for proposals is expected within one to two months. A $5,500 mold abatement estimate was discussed but not voted on, with an insurance claim already submitted through the town.